November 19, 2002 Purchasing-Power Parity: Definition, Measurement, and Interpretation Bank of Canada Review - Autumn 2002 Robert Lafrance, Lawrence L. Schembri This article examines the concept of purchasing-power parity (PPP) and its implications for the equilibrium value of the Canadian exchange rate. PPP has two main applications, as a theory of exchange rate determination and as a means to compare living standards across countries. Concerning exchange rate determination, PPP is mainly useful as a reminder that monetary policy has no long-run impact on the real exchange rate, since the exchange rate can deviate persistently from its PPP value in response to real shocks. To compare living standards across countries, PPP exchange rates constructed by comparing the prices of national consumption baskets are used to translate per capita national incomes into a common currency. These rates are useful because they offset differences in national price levels to obtain comparable measures of purchasing power, but they are not an accurate measure of the equilibrium value of the exchange rate. The authors conclude that the current deviation of the Canadian exchange rate from the PPP rate does not imply that the exchange rate is undervalued, but that this deviation reflects the impact of persistent real factors, in particular, lower commodity prices. Content Type(s): Publications, Bank of Canada Review articles
November 20, 2003 Low and Predictable Inflation and the Performance of Canadian Labour Markets Lecture David Dodge Memorial University of Newfoundland St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador The goal of Canadian monetary policy is to contribute to solid economic performance and rising living standards. The best way we can do this is by keeping inflation low, stable, and predictable. This has important implications for labour market performance. Content Type(s): Press, Speeches and appearances, Lectures
December 2, 2005 From Flapper to Bluestocking: What Happened to the Young Woman of Wellington Street? Bank of Canada Review - Winter 2005-2006 John F. Helliwell Helliwell traces the changes that have occurred at the Bank of Canada since the early 1960s, when he first began a long and extensive relationship with the institution and its staff. He begins with his work on the Royal Commission on Banking and Finance (the Porter Commission) and continues over the next 40 years, giving particular focus to the Bank's analytic and research activities. Although he is careful to note the benefits of alternative analytical and information-gathering techniques, such as the extensive mail and direct interview survey that he and his colleagues conducted as part of the Royal Commission, Helliwell devotes most of his attention to the Bank's econometric modelling efforts, starting with RDX1 and RDX2 in the late 1960s and early 1970s. He cites some of the internal, as well as external, obstacles that had to be overcome as the Bank's modelling efforts advanced, and how shifting trends in the economics profession have sometimes posed a challenge. Helliwell concludes that these developments helped the Bank to come of age and take its place in the front ranks of the world's evidence-based policy-research institutions. Content Type(s): Publications, Bank of Canada Review articles
March 2, 2026 Canada’s monetary policy framework in a world of supply-driven trade-offs Remarks Sharon Kozicki Norges Bank Monetary Policy Mandate Conference Oslo, Norway Deputy Governor Sharon Kozicki discusses the challenges of setting monetary policy in a world where supply-side developments are important drivers of inflation. Content Type(s): Press, Speeches and appearances, Remarks Subject(s): Monetary policy, Economic models, Economy/Economic growth, Inflation, Inflation targeting framework
January 29, 1998 Annual Report 1997 With inflation remaining low for the sixth consecutive year, the Canadian economy recorded a strong expansion of about 4 per cent through 1997. Content Type(s): Publications, Annual Report
Downward Nominal Wage Rigidity, Inflation and Unemployment: New Evidence Using Micro‐Level Data Staff analytical note 2017-6 Dany Brouillette, Natalia Kyui Recent evidence suggests that the extent of downward nominal wage rigidity (DNWR) in the Canadian labour market has risen following the 2008–09 recession (see Brouillette, Kostyshyna and Kyui 2016). Content Type(s): Staff research, Staff analytical notes JEL Code(s): E, E2, E24, E3, E31, J, J3, J30 Research Theme(s): Models and tools, Economic models, Monetary policy, Inflation dynamics and pressures, Real economy and forecasting, Structural challenges, Demographics and labour supply
Pulse check: Measuring underlying inflation and its drivers Staff analytical note 2025-29 Luis Uzeda This note presents PULSE, a new measure of underlying inflation in Canada based on a dynamic factor model estimated on disaggregated inflation data. PULSE captures the persistent component of inflation and decomposes it into broad-based and sector-specific inflationary pressures. Content Type(s): Staff research, Staff analytical notes JEL Code(s): C, C5, C55, E, E3, E31, E5, E52 Research Theme(s): Financial system, Financial system regulation and oversight, Models and tools, Econometric, statistical and computational methods, Monetary policy, Inflation dynamics and pressures
August 23, 2011 How People Think and How It Matters Remarks Jean Boivin Canadian Association for Business Economics Kingston, Ontario In his speech entitled “How People Think and How it Matters,” delivered to the Canadian Association for Business Economics, Deputy Governor Jean Boivin reviews various ways people form expectations and how these affect monetary policy. Content Type(s): Press, Speeches and appearances, Remarks
May 16, 2016 Monetary Policy Frameworks: Recent International Developments Bank of Canada Review - Spring 2016 Robert Fay, Kristina Hess Inflation-targeting frameworks have remained relatively stable over the past few years despite significant challenges, including prolonged low inflation, a large negative commodity price shock and rising financial stability concerns in some economies. The tools used by central banks have, however, evolved substantially. This article provides a survey of the developments in the inflation-targeting frameworks of 10 central banks in advanced economies that correspond to the three research areas of the Bank of Canada’s 2016 renewal: the level of the inflation target, the measurement of core inflation and financial stability considerations in the formulation of monetary policy. Content Type(s): Publications, Bank of Canada Review articles JEL Code(s): E, E5, E52, E58
October 30, 2019 Monetary Policy Report – October 2019 The Bank projects that Canadian economy will grow by 1.5 percent this year, 1.7 percent in 2020 and 1.8 percent in 2021. Content Type(s): Publications, Monetary Policy Report